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9734 Multimedia Services WP PDF
9734 Multimedia Services WP PDF
White Paper
An Introduction to
Multimedia Services
White Paper
Executive Summary
Combining video with voice and text applications to create multimedia services is an important development in the
worldwide communications marketplace. Adding video promises to provide a robust new revenue stream for service
providers and greatly enhance business solutions, including the contact center. This paper explores market segment
trends, multimedia services, key multimedia standards, and the technical components needed to deliver multimedia
services effectively. A section on Dialogic and multimedia discusses some of the Dialogic products that can help
make the move to multimedia faster and more cost effective.
Table of Contents
Multimedia Opportunities Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Move to Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Multimedia Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Video Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Video Caller ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Video Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Video Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Cellular Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3GPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
GPRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
EDGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3GPP2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3G-324M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
DVB-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
T-DMB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
MediaFLO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
ISDB-T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Video Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
MPEG-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
MPEG-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
VC-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Media Streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Components for Delivering Multimedia Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Gateways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Media Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Multimedia Endpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Market Outlook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Dialogic and Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
For More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
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Australia
Czech Republic
France
Italy
Japan
Taiwan
United Kingdom
United States
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82.8
105.6
73.7
108.2
71.6
100.3
102.2
62.1
Other agencies cite even higher figures. For example, the CTIA
cites an 80.5% penetration rate in the United States at the end
of June 2007 [CTIA].
Multimedia Services
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Market research firms can use video mail and the Internet
slide show
Video Mail
Most mobile subscribers use voice mail services today. As
technology, networks, and devices advance to support realtime video mail, mobile subscribers are likely to use enhanced
applications as well. Many callers worldwide can already send
and receive video messages, and use playback capabilities
similar to those available with voice mail today. Recording a
video message for someone who is temporarily unavailable is
expected to become as commonplace as leaving them a voice
mail message today.
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Video Caller ID
Video caller ID uses the caller ID function to select and play a
pre-recorded video on the mobile device being called before
the call is answered. The pre-recorded videos for known callers
are stored locally in the mobile devices memory and do not
require any intervention by the service provider. Applications
loaded and running on the mobile device look up the caller ID,
load the proper video, and control play according to a model
not unlike handset-based ring tones today.
Video Portal
Both businesses and service providers are beginning to use
video portals.
Large corporations are providing information to employees
through intranet video portals usually accessed via PCs.
Portals can provide company news and keynote speeches
by senior management or technical leaders. Portals are also
a vehicle well suited for training employees on new products
or technologies. Most companies do not currently support
mobile access because of security issues, but these issues are
expected to be addressed soon.
Video Share
Video Share (VS) also known as Video Sharing, See What I
See, Rich Voice Call, and Push-to-Video (P2video or PTV) is
a service that enables a user engaged in a voice call to stream
real-time (live) or pre-recorded one-way video from a handset
to any another party or multiple parties on the call regardless
of whether they are on a mobile or fixed network.
The sender can see what is being streamed and can provide
real-time narration over the audio portion of the call, explaining
the content of the video to those receiving it. The recipient(s)
can choose not to accept the streamed video and can terminate
the VS session at any time.
Since Push-to-Talk has been a success, VS should also
become popular, although moving from video mail to live video
streaming poses technological challenges.
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friends
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GPRS
Cellular Standards
By continuing to expand and upgrade their services, cellular
providers are driving the evolution from simple voice-only
mobile devices to sophisticated multimedia devices that
are more graphically adept and easier to use. As part of
the transition to full multimedia, a wide variety of standards
have emerged affecting many aspects of multimedia delivery
from network infrastructure to cellular endpoints. Because
of competing standards and the gradual nature of the 3G
transition, cellular providers today are compelled to support a
range of standards.
EDGE
Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) enables the
delivery of advanced mobile services. These advanced services
include enhanced downloading of video and music clips,
multimedia messaging, high-speed color Internet browsing,
and mobile email access. EDGE provides three times the
bandwidth available with a GPRS-based network (typical user
data rates are 100 to 120 kbps, and the theoretical maximum
is 384 kbps) while freeing up network resources to handle
additional voice traffic.
3GPP2
3GPP
Phase
2 Data rates up to 2.4 Mbps, but must be
deployed using a spectrum separate from the voice
network; devices for Phase 2 support access to both voice
and data spectrums
Phase
3 Circuit and packet data rates of 3 to 5 Mbps;
fully integrates the voice network established in Phase 1
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3G-324M
CDMA2000
1XRTT (One-Carrier Radio Transmission
Both the 3GPP and 3GPP2 envision supporting both voice and
multimedia content over an IP network. However, issues such
as the availability of adequate IP addresses and the ability to
reliably support time-sensitive applications are likely to delay
full deployment of either standard. To resolve the reliability
issue, 3GPP and 3GPP2 collaborated to create the 3G-324M
standard, which defines real-time streaming of wireless
multimedia over existing circuit-switched wireless network
links. Multimedia is sent as RTP packets, which provide
the timestamp and control mechanisms for synchronizing
multimedia content.
DVB-H
Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H) is a technical
specification and ETSI standard designed to bring broadcast
services to handheld receivers. It is a superset of the Digital
Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) system for digital
terrestrial television, with additional features to allow operation
in an IP environment and with handheld, battery-powered
receivers. DVB-H incorporates advanced audio and video
coding schemes, such as H.264, and complements other
existing broadcasting technologies.
CDMA2000
1xEV-DV (EVolution-Data and Voice)
A real-time, two-way voice communication system that
also supports packet data rates up to 3.07 Mbps with an
average data throughput of 1.0 Mbps, unmatched by many
competing technologies that operate in the 1.25 MHz radio
channel. 1xEV-DV has a flexible data air interface that
supports a wide range of applications and offers an orderly
and cost-effective migration path for existing CDMA2000
1X networks.
W-CDMA
(Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access)
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Video Standards
MPEG-2
T-DMB
MPEG-4
In 1998, the Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) started
work on a new standard designed to double the compression
efficiency of other video standards available at that time.
In 2001, MPEG teamed up with VCEG to finalize the newly
renamed H.264/AVC standard. This new standard, also known
as MPEG-4, succeeded in doubling the compression of video
broadcasts, paving the way for video support in low bandwidth
environments such as cellular networks.
MediaFLO
Media Forward Link Only (MediaFLO) is a proprietary system
developed by Qualcomm to broadcast data to mobile devices
such as PDAs and cell phones. Multiple real-time audio
and video streams, individual pre-recorded video and audio
clips, and IP Datacast application data such as stock market
quotes, weather reports, and sports scores can be transmitted
to mobile devices at approximately 700 MHz (previously
allocated to UHF TV Channel 5). MediaFLO is part of Verizons
V CAST offering.
VC-1
Microsoft decided to develop its own standard based on its
Windows Media Video 9 coder, which was standardized by
the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and
became standard 421M, now better known as VC-1. Microsoft
claims very high compression rates for VC-1 three times as
many video channels of the same quality as can be delivered
with the same amount of bandwidth needed for MPEG-2.
ISDB-T
Media Streaming
The Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) is designed for the
transport of real-time data, including audio and video, from
endpoint to endpoint over an IP network. RTP supports
multimedia by providing timing reconstruction, loss detection,
and content identification. Timing reconstruction and loss
detection ensure that the multimedia frames are presented in
proper sequence and smooth out the multimedia presentation
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by buffering content. The Real Time Control Protocol (RTCP) is used in conjunction with RTP and provides media session control.
RTCP synchronizes different media streams, supports gateways and bridges, and provides QoS feedback to the RTP session.
RTP-based streams are generic and flexible enough to allow the definition of a unique profile (stream characteristics) for each
target media endpoint.
The Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) is an application layer protocol that controls the real-time data delivery of both live
and pre-recorded audio and video. This control is also called streaming and an RTSP server can deliver multimedia content to
multiple destinations simultaneously. Several popular streaming servers, such as Apples QuickTime, RealNetworks RealServer,
and the Microsoft Windows Media Player, use RTSP as their control protocol. RTSP can also be used to control media distribution
from a media server in a multimedia implementation.
Mobile PC/PDA
SS7 Network
IP Network
Gateway
Media Server
Figure 1 illustrates components defined in standards for both 3G networks and the IMS service delivery framework. Several of
these components are discussed in more detail below.
The capabilities of SS7 are essential for some multimedia applications if the transactions require using the information from
remote database lookups together with call signaling to perform predefined actions related to a call. In multimedia services, the
predefined actions involve providing context-specific multimedia presentations to both the caller and the called parties.
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Media Servers
In IMS networks, media servers are known as Media Resource
Function Processors (MRFPs) and Media Resource Function
Controllers (MRFCs). Regardless of what they are called, media
servers provide access to media processing resources when a
client application requests them. The media can be a simple
busy signal or extension is no longer in service message or
a complex video stream or video conference. The requesting
client can be a video-enabled IP phone, traditional PC, or a 3G
phone set. Because 3G and mobile network implementations
and IMS standards are still emerging, the exact functionality
provided by a media server varies; however, convergence is
coming quickly.
Gateways
A gateway is a node on a network that serves as an entrance
to another network. PC-based users may use gateways as
proxy servers that direct traffic to a service provider network.
Services can include delivering a simple web page or a
complex conference involving several participants in a video
call. In 2.5G and 3G cellular networks, gateways provide interworking between cellular phones and VoIP, PSTN, and IP
content. Gateway inter-working functions include negotiating
picture size and translating or transcoding audio and video to
a format supported at the endpoints.
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The transcoding of media streams is a key function of video gateways, but a media server can also perform this function.
Performing transcoding in the media server may be more cost-effective for homogenous networks, and enable lower cost, higher
density video gateways to provide connectivity to disparate IP and PSTN networks.
Multimedia Endpoints
A PC is a multimedia endpoint. Embedding video or other forms of multimedia in emails, accessing multimedia content streamed
from web servers, and participating in multimedia PC-hosted meetings are all commonplace today. Recent enhancements to
PDAs, cell phones, and the cellular infrastructure, which supports these devices, are also bringing multimedia to mobile devices.
Because of the adoption of 2.5G and 3G wireless standards, several companies are developing technologies that deliver rich
content in a race to create the latest must-have applications and wireless devices.
Unfortunately, interoperability is an inhibiting factor for wireless multimedia endpoints today. The conditions in the mobile
marketplace currently resemble those in the early years of the PC for the following reasons:
Data Rates
Description
Standards
1G
NMT
TACS
AMPS
2G
64 kbps
GSM
D-AMPS
PDC
CDMA
2.5G
115.2 kbps
Data enhancements to 2G
GPRS
HSCSD
3G
EDGE
W-CDMA
CDMA2000
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Market Outlook
Both technology innovation and marketing ingenuity are clearly
moving forward in the mobile marketplace. The stumbling block
for equipment vendors and network operators is finding the
application that will excite must-have customer demand and
combine the daily usage model of broadcast television with the
ubiquity of mobile phones. A massive adoption of multimedia
services would require a major network infrastructure
expansion, but the increased monthly ARPU for operators as
users consume hour after hour of video content could make
the infrastructure investment pay handsome rewards.
Dialogic in Multimedia
Dialogic has a history of delivering innovative technology
for Enhanced and Value-Added Services. Dialogics media
processing and signaling products form the foundation for
mobile applications worldwide from advanced Ring Back
Tone solutions to emerging video portals. Dialogic partners use
Dialogic components based on open standards to develop
breakthrough mobile applications.
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Today, IMS-compliant, and IMS-enabled technologies are driving many multimedia innovations. The software-based Dialogic IP
Media Server supports video as well as the industry-standard interfaces of VoiceXML and MSCML needed for IMS. Advanced
video manipulation, including video conferencing and transcoding, can be delivered for high availability carrier deployments with
the Dialogic Multimedia Platform for AdvancedTCA.
Because Dialogic adheres to the goals of open standards in communications technology, its products support advanced coders
and IP and TDM call control standards. Mobile multimedia services appear poised for tremendous growth, and forward-looking
Dialogic products are ready for use in delivering these exciting services.
References
[CTIA] CTIA figures reported by Joseph Palenchar in Cellular Penetration Hits Record Despite Net-New Subs Drop
(TWICE, 11/5/2007) at http://www.twice.com/article/CA6497408.html. See also CTIA filing with the FCC at
http://files.ctia.org/pdf/080108_US-OECD_10_Comparison_Ex_Parte.pdf.
[Economist] The Economist Pocket World in Figures 2007 Edition. London: Profile Books, 2006.
[Insight] IP-Based Application Services Market 2006-2011. The Insight Research Corporation (November 2006).
[In-Stat] Figures quoted in In-Stat press release Global Broadband Subscriber Base to Nearly Double by 2011 at
http://www.instat.com/press.asp?Sku=IN0703510MBS&ID=2016.
[Mortensen] Interview with Mark Mortensen in Rich Grigonis, VPIsystems on WiFi Band-Aids for Cellular Networks,
October 29, 2007 at http://www.tmcnet.com/wifirevolution/articles/13410-vpisystems-wifi-band-aids-cellular-networks.htm.
13
Acronyms
1G
First Generation
2G
Second Generation
3G
Third Generation
3GPP
3GPP2
AdvancedTCA
AMPS
ARPU
ATCA
ATM
AVC
CAGA
CDMA
CDMA2000
CDMA2000 1X
CDMA2000 1xEV
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
1X-EVolution-Data Optimized
CDMA2000 1xEV-DV
CDMA2000 1XRTT
CDMA3xRTT
D-AMPS
DMB
DSL
DTM
DVB-H
DVB-IPDC
DVB-IP Datacast
DVD
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Acronyms (continued)
DVG-T
EDGE
ETSI
FTA
Free-to-Air
GPRS
GSM
GSMA
HSCSD
HTTP
IM
Instant Messaging
IMS
IP Multimedia Subsystem
IP
Internet Protocol
ISDB-T
ISDN
IVVR
IVR
JPEG
MediaFLO
MMS
MPEG
MPLS
MRFC
MRFP
NMT
NSP
OMA IMPS
PC
Personal Computer
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Acronyms (continued)
PDA
PDC
PSTN
PTT
Push-to-Talk
PTV
QoS
Quality of Service
SS7
Signaling System 7
RSVP
RTP
RTCP
RTSP
S-DMB
SIP
SMS
SMPTE
TACS
T-DMB
TDMA
UHF
UMTS
W-CDMA
VCEG
VHF
VoIP
Voice over IP
VS
Video Share
XMPP
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